RED BLUFF -The Tehama District Fair Board of Directors’ decision at February’s meeting to turn down a money-making opportunity to host a second monster truck show was foolish, said board member Bob Kerstiens Jr. at Tuesday’s meeting.

Kerstiens, who was recently appointed, said he was disappointed in the board, which did not act according to its mission statement to advance the fair.

“I don’t think we advanced the fair by turning that down,” he said.

The second monster truck show would have generated $20,000 to $40,000 in revenue for the Tehama District Fairground, which is suffering from a deficit.

“We can’t continue to run in the red just to please everybody,” Board President Rich Mehling said.

The decision not to have the show came after discussion at February’s meeting, during which Major League of Monster Trucks owner Joe Froome, who holds the existing monster truck show in October, voiced his opposition to a second event to be held in June.

Recently appointed board member Tonya Redamonti motioned to deny the event in February, stating that the community would not support two similar events and the board should consider a new venue.

However, Kerstiens said competition generated by hosting similar events would be a good thing.

“Competition will create new ideas and excitement,” he said.

Board members need to be more concerned about advancing the fairground than worrying about competition generated by promoters, Kerstiens said.

“The biggest thing, our top priority, is to rent out this facility,” he said.

Round-Up Committee Member Rod Moore said the board should consider the effect potential events will have on the community.

In a nonscientific poll by the Daily News, about 24 percent of those who voted wanted to see another monster truck event. Even more voted for a second fair, and 6 percent voted to not add any new events.

Moore encouraged the board to think twice before working with promoters who are not local because the promoters could mistreat their sponsors, leaving a sour taste in the sponsors’ mouths. But Mehling said the board cannot be scared to work with out-of-towners, and Kerstiens said a new event could be successful.

“It doesn’t make any difference who we go after, they’re going to ask for sponsors. That’s just the nature of the game,” Mehling said. “If you don’t throw any spaghetti against the wall, nothing is gonna stick.”

Mehling said he put the issue on the March agenda not necessarily to revote on it, but to discuss the board’s decision to turn down an event that would have generated income, and come up with ways to make up for the money lost.

Board members discussed holding speedway racing on the grounds, an event that would likely happen every weekend for three or four months, but Board Member Farrell Shatswell opposed that idea because motorized events upset neighbors.

The finance committee is expected to review the issue and give direction to the board. The next meeting will be at 1 p.m. April 15, and will begin with a tour of the facilities.

Weekend entertainment for April’s fair was discussed at Tuesday’s Tehama District Fair Board meeting. The consensus was to have a concert with an artist that targets 18- to 34-year-olds. One possible artist is 18-year-old country music singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.